Bomb nose fuse



a Jan. 21, 194v. P, RHCARD 2,4145% BOMB NOSE FUSE Filed June 15, 1943 WITNESSES: INVENTOR 47 415% Perc E/Fh/z'ard ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 21, i947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOllIB NOSE FUSE Percy E. Rhicard, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 15, 1943, Serial No. 490,874

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to improvements in bombs, and more particularly to improvements relating to bomb nose fuses.

Modern aerial bombs use a propeller actuated arming mechanism. This propeller is held fixed with reference to the bomb while the bomb is in the plane. Upon release of the bomb the propeller is released and immediately, by virtue of the air currents that drive it, begins to actuate the arming mechanism. A novel arming mechanism is disclosed and claimed in my application Serial No. 490,873, filed June 15, 1943, and entitled Bomb nose fuses.

The arming mechanism includes, among other elements, an arming member movable, in the direction of its length, through a suitable propeller actuated train of gears, from an initial position to a final arming position. If the direction of the air currents acting on the propeller is opposite to that intended the gear train, or arming member, or both jam or look. Since the propeller torque is relatively small it is insufficient to overcome the tightness of the jam or look when the bomb flight becomes stabilized and the air currents are in the intended direction. The bomb is thus a dud.

One broad object of my invention is to make the operation of the arming of a bomb more reliable.

Another object of my invention is to provide for unidirectional rotation of the propeller actuating the arming mechanism regardless of the direction of the air currents acting on the propeller.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing, in which, the single figure shows a bomb nose provided with my invention.

In the figure, I designates the bomb nose generally. This nose is provided with the threads 2 for attachment to the bomb proper. The propeller 3 is provided with the arm 4, which arm 4, while the bomb is in its rack on the plane, has its outwardly projecting portion 5 in registry with the outwardly projecting portion 6 of the bracket 1. Portions 5 and 6 are provided with suitable registering holes and while the bomb is in the rack a pin, or several pins, depending on the arrangement of the holes, project through the holes to hold the propeller against rotation. When the bomb is released the pins are withdrawn to permit rotation of the propeller.

In dropping the bomb from a fast moving plane the initial air currents cause the bomb to swing like a pendulum about its center of gravity. In fact it at times may make a few rotations end over end. It is thus apparent that at times during the initial stages of independent flight of the bomb the air currents would drive the propeller in the wrong direction.

To prevent any improper operation of the propeller I provide th statically balanced member 8 pivoted on the bracket 1 on the pivot pin 9. The member 8 has a hub portion It] provided with the notch II. The outwardly projecting portion 6 of the bracket 1 is disposed within the notch II' and thus limits the angular movement of member 8 from that shown in dotted line to that shown in full line.

The left-hand portion of member 8 is provided with the outwardly projecting vane [2. When the bomb is pointing its nose down as it should, and not 2. shown, the vane l2 actuates member 8 to the dotted line position in which operative 7 position it is held by projection 6. The propeller is thus free to rotate clockwise looking toward the bomb nose. The arming can thus proceed normally.

If the bomb is temporarily moving tail first with reference to the air currents, or is actually dropping with its tail first as shown in the figure, then the vane I2 almost instantly moves the member 8 to the position shown in full line. The projection 5 of the arm 4 on the propeller engages, as shown, the left-hand projection of member 8, and the propeller is thus prevented from operating the arming mechanism improperly. No parts of the arming mechanism can thus become locked or jammed.

It should be noted that projection 6 prevents vane I2 from taking a weathervane position with reference to the bomb axis. Member 8 is thus always in operative position regardless of any extreme turbulence of the air currents during the initial independent flight of the bomb.

The particular showing of my device and the foregoing description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but my invention is to be interpreted only by the scope of the claim hereto appended.

I claim as my invention:

In a bomb nose fuse structure, in combination, a bracket on the bomb nose having a portion parallel to the bomb axis and a portion projecting at an angle to the bomb axis, a lever pivoted on an axis normal to the bomb axis, said lever having a relatively wide notch at a side thereof for receiving the projecting portion of the bracket whereby the movement of the lever is limited in anguiar extent by the width difference of the notch and the projecting portion of the bracket, said lever having a vane lying at an angle to the bomb axis, whereby air currents moving relative to the bomb actuate said lever to one extreme position or the other extreme position de- 8: its extreme positions.

PERCY E. RHICARD. 

